A Winter Run
by SnapTobiume10
Summary: Lucia and Bastian are heading to Delbray, when a child is heard, nearly drowning in the nearby river. "Imagine your OTP" prompt, again.


_AN- So I found another "Imagine your otp" prompt that I liked... Sorry for all the Lucia/ Bastian spam lately, but its going to get worse, I swear. No one should have let me browse that tumblr tag. So many... So the multi- chapter fics are still in the works, I'm just slowed down a little bit in order to write some of these :D_  
_Heres the prompt- Imagine person A of your OTP jumping into a river to save a drowning child and passing them out to person B._  
_~SnapTobiume10_  
_PS- Prior Path of Radiance_

* * *

The white landscape gave Bastian much to fantasize about as their train moved steadily onward towards the city of Delbray. Flicking his eyes sideways, he risked a glance at the Queen's adopted sister, the Lady Lucia of Delbray. She had a slight smile ghosting along her lips, and he assumed it was at the thought of returning home, even under less than perfect circumstances. The city had found its harvests lacking in bounty large enough to feed its numbers, and the older sister and heir of the city was leading the supply train from Castle Melior and to her home town, in order to assist her father. She glanced over to him, her smile growing minutely from where she was at the head of the train, versus where he was at the lead of the guard surrounding her. With a white and teal cloak pulled up over her head, azure hair streaming out over her right shoulder, she looked to be a part of the perfect, serene landscape. Bastian couldn't help his own smile from tugging at the corners of his mouth at the image, especially not as they made the treacherous journey in the week of mid- winter. Looking forward again to the snow- coated trees, he was able to imagine them already at their destination, the city of Delbray which was only putting off their gathering, which was never accompanied by the massive feasting that was common in Melior. Rather, as Lucia had confided in him, there was a massive lighting of the grounds, and more of a city- wide party than anything else. She had told him once, in secrecy, with a blade to his throat should he speak a single word to another, that she missed being able to go home for the festival. The mage was glad that she was getting home to see it again, if nothing else.

He couldn't wait to see it, personally. He knew he wouldn't have the chance, but looking out to the white- coated mountains, he could almost feel Lucia's waist beneath his hand, his other tangled with her fingers as they twirled. She was mocking him, and his eloquent speech, but smiling as she did so, eyes twinkling despite her greatest efforts. When the people had stopped watching them so closely, which they were never completely certain of, he dropped his voice, the detailed eloquent speech. She was still sassy, but almost gentler about it, the sharp edges of her words blunted in the private moments. She was quiet, drawing closer, their bodies hugging closer for not only warmth, but leaned down the few inches that separated their lips, breath twisting as they glanced around guiltily one last time, leaning forward to kiss-

"Help me!" The young voice drew him out of his happy day dream immediately, the foggy realization of what was real and what was not setting in with a shock as the soldiers started. He looked around for a moment, disoriented. There was a rumbling sound that was precedent over all others, and it was louder, much louder, than it should have been. He glanced to the side, as Lucia cried out, telling the train to stop, reining her horse to a halt, listening. Bastian did the same, turning, trying to find the source of the strangled cry as it echoed again, nearly covered by the roaring of water.

"The river!" The azure haired swords mistress called out, heading off straight into the woods, pointing the rear guards. "You, protect the train! The rest of you, spread out along the banks, there's a child in the river somewhere! Go! Move now!" Bastian closed his knees, heading out in the same relative direction as the woman. He turned left when he saw the white sheets of crystal- like ice spider- like cracks decorating the sheeting surface as if preparing it for the mid- winter festival as well. The mage reined his horse down beside the banks when she balked, snorting at the rushing sound from beneath an icy cover he knew was much too thin to hold a person's weight, even a child's. Turning left first, he could see the next soldier at the river's banks, heading closer towards Lucia again instead.

"Help me!" He heard it again, head snapping up to see her, hanging on by a branch, scrabbling out roughly halfway across the bank, only a bit closer to Lucia than the midway point between the two of them.

"Lucia!" He shouted, spurring the horse onward as she caught sight of the child, doing much the same. She paused briefly, throwing her leg over the side of him before taking one cautious step onto the brittle ice. "Lucia, no!" She looked up at him, their eyes locking briefly before she all but threw her sword on the ground, jumping into a more than graceful swan dive through the ice, the glass- like substance shattering in an arc around her shoulders. Barely a second later, Bastian was off his own horse, grabbing onto the tempest blade so carelessly thrown aside, tossing it up on the back of the saddle as he watched her, one hand grasping both sets of reins while the other rested lightly on the ground, watching, waiting. Her head surfaced, teal hair plastered back as she gasped for air, kicking forward in a broad stroke towards the child, battling the harsh undercurrent that could barely even be seen but was obviously there. Chunks of frozen debris fell around her when she reached the branch, wrapping a pale arm around the slighter form, hugging the dark- haired child to her chest.

"Hey." Lucia gasped out, panting against the slowly disappearing in her legs as she pulled herself further up against the branch, their only real link to safety. "What's your name, sweetheart? You're fro Delbray, yea?"

"Mmhmm. I'm Mira." Lucia nodded slightly, recognizing the meaning behind the name.

"Your name, it means ocean, water. That's cool." She looked back over towards the far bank, then further up the branch they were holding on to. It was cracking, fraying beneath a sheet of ice that had frozen over the bough. "I'm known as Lady Delbray, but my friends simply call me Lucia." Chewing on her lip, she shifted one hip to hold the girl flush against the side of her body with only one arm.

"We're going to die, aren't we, Lady Lucia." She looked over to Bastian, eyes flicking down stream before back up to the branch. She shook her head, inhaling deeply.

"Nope. We're going to get through this. Just hold tight, alright? And whatever happens, don't let go." She nodded to Bastian, tilting her head to the side slightly. "You see that sage over there? He's my friend. He'll make sure you get out of this. Just trust me, alright?"

"Alright." The voice whispered, tiny. Lucia bit down on her lip, springing off from the branch, trying to keep the child's head above water as she fought against the current, legs numbing, cold seeping through the thick winter clothes she wore in order to express her rank in the royal court. The bank was close, as she drove her elbow through the glassy cover over the water, reaching out to grasp for anything, anyone. Hands reached down, more than one pair of them, as she reached around Mira, pushing her into the blonde sage's hands, current dragging at her leg, her torso.

"Pull her up!" The sage cried out, reaching down into the icy current for the woman again, even as she reached for him as well, reaching near blindly for his shoulders, anything to hold on to. "Get blankets around the child, get her warm. Put her up on one of the horses, and make way for Delbray, immediately!"He shrugged off his own coat as he dragged her shorter one away from her shoulders, sweeping long hair away from her back and over her shoulder.

"She taken care of?"

"Of course, Lucia. Of course." She smirked, reaching out one icy hand to grip his warmer robe around her shoulders, trying to calm her shivers.

"Water was damned cold." He laughed, shoulders shivering as he lifted her, her arms snaking out around his neck as he tucked only one arm beneath her, using the other in order to lift them both into the saddle. "Its freezing out,"

"Don't worry, we'll get you back to Delbray where you can warm up. It'll all be better." He whispered, pulling her in tight against his chest as he signalled to the rider carrying the child, and then to the others to stay beside the caravan. They raced forward, the only sounds the thudding of hooves in the snow, heading towards walls that were steadily raising in front of them, powering through already open gates before slowing, heading towards the keep, leaving his horse with one of the rather confused- looking stable boys.

"Welcome to-" Lucia's father started, when the sage held up a hand.

"Look, Lord Delbray, not to be insulting or anything, but we have more pressing matters to attend to." He stated, holding Lucia to his side with one hand, refusing to let go of her for even an instant. "So, the Lady Lucia needs to warm up, as does this child, found nearly drowned in the river just outside the city. Supply trains from Melior should be here shortly to assist, as was brought to your attention earlier this evening by runner." He nodded, brushing past the Lord as he headed inside of the castle.

"East wing is my chambers, there should be a maid nearby on hand to take care of Mira." She paused as he waved to one of the keep workers as they passed, asking politely, if simply enough, for her assistance with the child. "Then I would probably apologize to my father, if you like your face intact, milord." She finished, and he nodded into her hair.

"I planned on it. Right after I know you're alright." He told her, ascending the stairs before pushing the door open, before setting her down. "Are you?"

"I will be, with a shower. Thank you." She tilted her head, kissing the side of his jaw lightly, before heading into the bathing chambers. Nodding once to himself, the sage spun on a heel and headed back down the spiral staircase, heading into what he hoped was the main hall. Stopping out in the courtyard after the sound of the supply trains attracted his attention, pausing beside the older man.

"So, Count Bastian, the soldiers told me that Mira was found in the river as you were passing, and you helped rescue her."

"Not really, milord. Lucia dove in for her, I just pulled them out. Both of them. I do apologize for seeming to be rude previously." He bowed his head to the older man. "I was more concerned with the well being of the child, as well as your daughter." The Lord of the city shrugged his shoulders.

"I have no trouble believing that, my boy. Most people don't put her first, in the lines of war, but you seemed to care more than most." Bastian opened his mouth to reply, catching the same mischievous twinkle in the old man's eye that he was accustomed to seeing in his daughter's. "Boy, there isn't much a man my age misses, you like her. A lot, I would say."

"Yes sir." The sage admitted, nodding the slightest bit. He chose not to say more, that the risks of taking her hand proved more dangerous in the face of many battles that were bound to come than simply loving her as much as she would allow did, even though the latter choice was bound to pain him more. Instead, he moved to help the soldiers, looking up only when his name was called, to the blue eyes that had been so tired before, azure hair falling down her back. Her dress was long, a dark violet in color, ending just below the ground, edges of her white stilettos visible from where he stood. She wore a darker cape, clasped around her shoulders in the black accent color of the city of Delbray, but most familiar to him was the coy smirk playing across her lips. Breathing a sigh of relief, the blonde sage offered her his hand, which she took gratefully, being pulled into a tight enough embrace to allow for minimal dancing as the others fell into step on all sides of them, to music that had been floating above their heads for some time now. Dancing through the lit streets of the city, Bastian smiled, tucking her slighter form against his own. He wanted to tell her that he had been frightened when she had jumped into the icy river, that there were so many emotions swirling around within him, but couldn't force the words out. She tilted her head against his neck, pausing, as if she was listening to the arguing thoughts waging war within his mind. As if she knew the many things that he wanted to tell her, wanted to speak into the crisp air

"Me too, Bastian. Me too." He tilted his head slightly, and their lips brushed as lightly as in his fantasy. Only this was better, because this? This was real.


End file.
